An international move to Italy, particularly over an ocean, is logistically complicated. One of the more practical concerns is setting up your new home, and what to do with everything in your old one.
If you've lived in one place for a while, you've probably amassed quite a bit of stuff – far more than can be shoved into a couple of suitcases. So do you sell it all off and start fresh? Or try to bring your furnishings and personal belongings with you?
We asked for input from those who chose the latter option – to move to Italy with large amounts of personal belongings, whether a couple pieces of furniture or an entire household.
When to hire a professional vs DIY
The logistics of how you get your things to Italy depend on what country you're moving from, with those coming from the United Kingdom having the option (albeit tedious) to DIY the move with vans.
Annette Louise Officer, who moved from the UK to Abruzzo, went this route.
“We moved enough (and more) for a largish 2 bed house. We looked at removal companies but found the costs ridiculous, so we hired a van and did two trips from Bristol to Lanciano ourselves," she said.
"I read up on the custom requirements and labelled and catalogued contents. Easy peasy, just back breaking!”
But moving to Italy from the US, Canada or elsewhere beyond Europe usually means you don't have that option, so you will need to hire a cross-border moving company.
How much shipping space you actually need
The price, as you might imagine, can be substantial. Many people reduce shipping costs by renting partial or shared shipping containers.
READ ALSO: Reader question: What are the rules on moving household goods to Italy?
Large-scale international shipping is calculated by cubic meterage or container size. Full Container Loads (FCL) are the standard for large cargo, but if you do that, you'll be charged the entirety of the rate – even if you don't end up filling it. You can instead rent just a portion of a shipping container, which is referred to as Less Than Container Load (LCL).
Most readers who wrote in said their belongings fit in half a container, or even less.
Leila A Higgins moved to Italy with most of her belongings, she said, and still didn't need a full container. “[The moving company determined] that my stuff could fit in a shared container to help save money."
Joseph Reagan, who moved to Abruzzo three years ago, said the same. “We moved with a lot of belongings… We used a partial container and found the pricing very reasonable.”
Keep in mind that your initial shipping quote may overestimate the amount of space you'll need.
Jennifer Aries, who's in the process of moving from Arizona to Lazio, said a moving company she recently inquired with quoted her for much more space than she ended up needing.
READ ALSO: What to bring with you if you're moving to Italy from the US
“I did a detailed list of what I would be sending and it came in at about 1,000 lbs, not the 3,500 lbs they estimated," she said.
The company quoted $18,186 USD, which accounted for 510 cubic feet of shipping space and door-to-door service.
Unexpected and surprise fees – and how to avoid them
Prices also vary depending on the route taken, customer demand and global circumstances, such as the ongoing fuel price hikes.
Leanne Davis, who recently went through this process, was impacted by these factors. “Moved in the middle of August so the price went up about 5 grand due to the gas prices and demand pricing," she said.
When you get a quote from a shipping company, make sure to ask about what it doesn't include. Unanticipated fees – such as destination port fees and other bureaucratic costs – can really add up.
READ ALSO: What you can and cannot bring to Italy from abroad
Leila Higgins said that the movers she hired "handled all prep, packing and paperwork. There were no hidden fees and they delivered my things to my home apartment in Italy… Everything went smoothly and I'd do it again. As far as costs go, I think it was well worth it knowing how many departments and hands would be involved in a move like mine.”
Some readers noted the importance of opting in to have good insurance on the items you ship.
“I’m glad we were insured because 13 boxes went missing and a valuable marble table top was destroyed in transit," said Pat S. Conti, who relocated from Washington, DC, to Verona in 2021.
There are an untold number of people and companies involved in the process of an international move from start to finish.
Overpacking
Several readers still felt that they shipped more stuff than they should have.
“I am already regretting the amount of clothes I brought," said Leanne Davis, who moved to Italy in August.
"Everything else I’m good with. Mainly family heirlooms and our large collection of copper clock ware and Lodge cast iron and a lot of large items that were non negotiables.”
READ ALSO: More than Ikea: Where else to buy furniture in Italy
Pat Conti agreed, stating, “We shipped over 320 boxes/crates and, in retrospect, too much clothing and furniture. It was costly and took a long time to arrive.”
You'll want to carefully note the size of your new home in Italy before packing too much furniture than it can accommodate, or oversized furniture that will be a hassle to move in. Homes in Italy are smaller in general, including door frames and stairwells, particularly in historic buildings.
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